The Legalization of Marijuana
Carlos Reyes
Mrs. Schultz
Honors English 10
2 December 2011
The Legalization of Marijuana and its Economic Benefits
The legalization of marijuana, scientifically known as cannabis or hemp, is considered one of the biggest debates in modern American politics. The United States is currently in debt and almost half of the American population is proposing that the government legalize cannabis and end its prohibition. Supporters argue that this will help out the economy. If marijuana were to become legal, politicians argue that many people would be driving around intoxicated. Thus, many accidents would occur. My proposed research topic is to explain how legalizing marijuana would affect the United States economically. The importance of this research proposal is to give the people the real facts and statistics about marijuana and its uses. This would then allow them to decide for themselves if they support or oppose the legalization of marijuana.
America has been in a marijuana prohibition since 1937. It may seem that it has been illegal for a long time, but an interesting fact is that marijuana has been illegal for less than 1% of the time that it's been in use by humans. Marijuana is the preparation of the dried and crushed leaves or flowers of the Indian Hemp plant (Cannabis Sativa). When it was legal, this hemp plant was not solely used for marijuana. There are actually many different uses for this plant. In fact, it has been shown to be used in 40,000 ways. Some examples of its uses are hemp-based fuel, clothing, paper, food, plastic and much more. The Indian Hemp plant has had a big role in our economy ever since the colonies were formed. In 1619, the first marijuana law was passed in the Colony of Jamestown; this law “ordered” all farmers to grow the Indian hempseed. Between the years of 1963 and 1967, a person could actually be jailed for not growing the plant, and some colonists would even pay their taxes with hemp since it was a legal
Mrs. Schultz
Honors English 10
2 December 2011
The Legalization of Marijuana and its Economic Benefits
The legalization of marijuana, scientifically known as cannabis or hemp, is considered one of the biggest debates in modern American politics. The United States is currently in debt and almost half of the American population is proposing that the government legalize cannabis and end its prohibition. Supporters argue that this will help out the economy. If marijuana were to become legal, politicians argue that many people would be driving around intoxicated. Thus, many accidents would occur. My proposed research topic is to explain how legalizing marijuana would affect the United States economically. The importance of this research proposal is to give the people the real facts and statistics about marijuana and its uses. This would then allow them to decide for themselves if they support or oppose the legalization of marijuana.
America has been in a marijuana prohibition since 1937. It may seem that it has been illegal for a long time, but an interesting fact is that marijuana has been illegal for less than 1% of the time that it's been in use by humans. Marijuana is the preparation of the dried and crushed leaves or flowers of the Indian Hemp plant (Cannabis Sativa). When it was legal, this hemp plant was not solely used for marijuana. There are actually many different uses for this plant. In fact, it has been shown to be used in 40,000 ways. Some examples of its uses are hemp-based fuel, clothing, paper, food, plastic and much more. The Indian Hemp plant has had a big role in our economy ever since the colonies were formed. In 1619, the first marijuana law was passed in the Colony of Jamestown; this law “ordered” all farmers to grow the Indian hempseed. Between the years of 1963 and 1967, a person could actually be jailed for not growing the plant, and some colonists would even pay their taxes with hemp since it was a legal